I've played Halo multiplayer online since Halo 2, so please don't let my noob status as a member of this forum interfere with what I have to say. I personally agree and disagree that the AR is overpowered. I agree because, in comparison to the other Halo games, the default weapons of Halo 4 deal way too much damage in a short amount of time. I feel like the AR is balanced when considering its damage in comparison to other defaults, but really it feels like all of the defaults are a bit too powerful. The BR is overused and can take you out in a matter of seconds. While fans pleaded and begged for the BR to come back, I feel as if the damage it deals makes it seem like it should've been left out in comparison to the DMR. I know I'll get hate for saying that the DMR is better than the BR in any way shape or form, but the bloom and the damage the DMR dealt made gameplay extremely balanced online. You actually had to be good with the DMR to use it, which I highly appreciated. The BR now can take you out in 3 shots, and anyone can use it. Also, the pacing of combat in Halo 4 is remarkably faster than that of the other Halo games. It feels like a normal shooter now, where if you go out you can expect to get murdered almost instantly. The movement of the Spartans is too fast it seems, and the rate of fire of the weapons and the damage they deal just make the gameplay feel so fast, but not so much in a competitive way, more like an overwhelming way. Truth be told, Team Doubles is far more balanced in my opinion because even though the combat is still fast, the amount of enemies shooting at you at once is inevitably less, therefore making the combat less overwhelming. And again, the overwhelming part of combat is that you can go one on one with someone and kill them, but they've taken your shields down, and with the new automatic respawn system that's been implemented, your enemy can respawn almost instantly, thus giving them the opportunity to kill you before your shields recharge. That type of combat is way too fast and overwhelming. The fun about Halo, to me anyway, is the battle to survive. But that's taken away whenever the weapons, even if they're balanced with each other, can take you out incredibly fast. Whereas a weakness in most FPS' are that the superweapons are overpowered, I feel as if the default weapons are overpowered. The superweapons in Halo 4 are absolutely fantastic, though map placement is a must for Halo 5. And to take away the credibility of everything I've said so far, bring back the dual wielding. I know everyone misses the Plasma Rifle and SMG dual wield. You had to be smart about your weapon choice, which I miss. Sorry this is such a long response.